Hegseth cuts Ivy League ties in military education shake-up, taps Hillsdale
FIRST ON FOX: Hillsdale College told War Secretary Pete Hegseth it would be "honored" to help educate senior U.S. military officers — aligning itself with the administration’s push to cut ties with Ivy League schools over concerns about ideological influence.
In a March 30 letter to Hegseth, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn thanked the Department of War for including the school among institutions selected for the Senior Service College Fellowship Program, which sends senior military officers to civilian universities for advanced education as they prepare for top leadership roles.
"Thank you for including Hillsdale College among the institutions qualified to educate America’s military leaders," Arnn wrote, adding that he supports Hegseth’s goal of equipping the military with "the lethality necessary to protect our national interest."
The letter comes weeks after Hegseth announced the Department of War would end partnerships with several elite universities, including Harvard and Princeton, arguing that "woke" ideology had weakened military education.
A February memorandum shows the Department of War canceled 93 fellowship positions across 22 institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Georgetown, Columbia and Princeton.
"We train warriors, not wokesters," Hegseth said at the time.
Hegseth himself is a graduate of Princeton University and later earned a degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School.
In their place, the Pentagon is steering officers toward a new set of schools, including Hillsdale, Liberty University, George Mason University, Pepperdine University and Texas-based Baylor University, along with large public universities such as the University of Florida, Auburn University and the University of North Carolina.
The new list also includes senior military colleges such as The Citadel and Virginia Tech, as well as Pentagon-affiliated programs like the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies in Alaska.
The institutions were selected based on criteria including "intellectual freedom," limited ties to foreign adversaries and alignment with the department’s mission, according to the memo.
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In his letter, Arnn pointed to Hillsdale’s curriculum and mission, saying the school emphasizes the U.S. Constitution and the "political philosophy of the West." He also echoed criticism of higher education, writing that "anti-American ideologies" have "infect(ed) so many of our colleges and universities."
Arnn said Hillsdale "refuses all government money to preserve its independence" and that any role in the program would be funded through private sources.
The shift away from traditional academic partners marks a significant change in how senior military officers may receive advanced education, with the administration steering the program toward institutions that more closely align with its views on education and national identity.
Hillsdale has also worked with the White House on initiatives tied to America’s 250th anniversary, including contributing historical material for the administration’s "Freedom Trucks" campaign and collaborating on a video series featuring President Donald Trump.
It remains unclear when the Department of War will finalize new partnerships under the program or how many officers will ultimately be sent to schools like Hillsdale.